


Shadowed Spell

by Goddess_of_the_Night



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A Full Weekend's Worth of Detention, Alternate Universe - Post-War, Angst, First Time, Happy Ending, Harry Gets Detention, Harry Messes Things Up, Harry is a Tease, Invisible Groping, Invisible Handjob, M/M, Minor OMC - Freeform, Office Sex, Once You Wade Through All the Angst, Release Denial, Severus Snape Has Feelings, Teacher-Student Relationship, blowjob, delayed gratification, handjob, invisible blowjob, sneaky Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 02:37:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3552911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess_of_the_Night/pseuds/Goddess_of_the_Night
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mysterious figure casts a spell in the middle of the night, what could the result of said action be? "The Seven were dear to us all" (not a direct quote)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sentire Emozioni

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I've had up on ff.net for many years and wanted to revamp and bring over here. I'm leisurely editing the 7 chapters, but hope to update once a day.
> 
> If you really wanted you could go read it on ff.net and not have to wait, but...please don't. Is that weird to ask? There's at least one major change on the horizon and I'd rather you read this edited version vs the one from 2004 (YIKES I'm getting old!).
> 
> I'm bad with HP tags since this isn't what I primarily read anymore, so if you think of a tag I can add, please let me know! I'll add more tags as I edit and actually remember what happens ;)

Severus Snape fitfully tossed back and forth on his four-poster double bed. He had a feeling that something was wrong in his rooms, though he couldn't for the life of him bring himself out of his dream to check his surroundings. Because of this little fact, he did not - and would not - know that he was not alone.

The other figure in the dark bedroom had their wand drawn, smiling slightly at the picture that the sleeping man made, before doing what they had come there to accomplish. For, what else is there to do in the Potion Master’s bedroom at 2:03 in the morning…well…at least until you claimed the man as yours?

So proceed they did, not all caution being thrown to the wind. The shadowed occupant of the room was smart enough to whisper their spell, in fear of waking Snape up, though they knew it would be near impossible to do. The spell uttered? Sentire Emozioni.

A blue light flew from the wand tip and lightly hit the sleeping form between the eyes. Once the spell was complete, the figure silently moved to the door. As soon as that goal was met, they moved to the other side and closed it until only a crack was left and whispered "Goodnight, Professor" before lifting their wand once more and said some form of counter spell to allow the man to wake up if he wished, before swiftly closing the door all the way.

On the other side of the door, the Potions Master immediately sat upright and looked around the darkened enclosure frantically. After a few minutes of high nerves, the older man laid back down to fall in to another fitful dream, though this time unaided by spells.

The last thing he thought before succumbing to unconsciousness was a weary, and slightly scared, _'Oh, something's very wrong.'_

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully for Snape, who awoke at 6:30 the next morning.

While in the shower he remembered the events of the previous night, but after many minutes of investigation within his mind, he brushed it off as merely a dream…that is to say, until breakfast.

He arrived early, as usual, in hopes of not having to deal with so many kids, knowing how much they loved to sleep in for as long as possible. Just as he had thought, each house table only held an average of six people, but the various Seventh year students were really the only ones to stand out to him.

At the Gryffindor table sat two Second years and two Third years, as well as Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter, he noted without much interest. Hermione was reading a book while eating her eggs as Harry was staring at his food, looking as though he was fighting to keep his eyes open and failing, just as he fails at everything else. Severus snorted to himself at the thought before moving on to the next table: Hufflepuff.

Here he saw three First years chatting excitedly as they huddled together looking at one thing or another. Then, further along the table, he saw Seventh years Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley talking, decidedly less animated, to a Sixth year boy.

Next came the Ravenclaws, always the intellectuals, yet usually late sleepers, as well. This always confused Severus, because it's not as if they stay up late finishing homework…he guessed it was just them wanting to get a decent amount of shut-eye so they'd be awake and prepared for classes, unlike the other houses. So, as it were, there were only four Ravenclaws awake at 7:20 this morning: a Fourth and Fifth year sat holding hands while in a deep discussion, occasionally taking bites from the food on their plates while the Seventh year, Terry Boot, sat talking with a Sixth year boy.

Then Severus' gaze turned to the Slytherin table. They were never morning people, to put it nicely. Here there were only five people present: two Third years, one Fourth and two Sevenths; the Sevenths being Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Most of the table occupants sat picking at their food moodily, while others, like Malfoy and Zabini, talked grumpily to one another.

Taking one more quick look around, he noted, _'This isn't just_ some _members of the Seventh year class braving the early light; this is_ all _of them,'_ Severus thought with a small, sad smile. He should've known they'd all be here, since they got used to early waking during the war.

Earlier in the year the final battle had been fought and the Dark Lord finally brought down. All of the Seventh years had been called upon to fight since they had sufficient training. Out of the 25 members of their class, only these last seven remained: their Seven Seventh years. Yes, even the Potions Master kept this class the closest to his heart; even Granger and Potter, both whom he had even gone as far as respecting. Well, he respected them all, for how could you not respect someone when they fight beside you and see, as well as do, all the same things as you?

The five non-Slytherins survived because they were all members of Dumbledore's Army, which had continued thankfully after their Fifth year. Ms. Bones, Mr. Boot, and Mr. Finch-Fletchley will probably always worship and thank Potter and Granger for teaching them the skills they needed to survive.

As for Blaise and Draco? Well, Blaise was fighting on the side of good the whole time and was skilled (or is it more fair to say lucky?) enough to survive (no, no one who had to go through this war can ever be considered lucky). Whereas Draco had been pretending to be on the dark side, but finally showed the Dark Lord his allegiance to the light by killing Peter Pettigrew, since his own father had already been taken down. This, of course, was not enough proof for the Ministry to let him off. He had to show them that he had never taken the Dark Mark and then was subjected to veritaserum and questioned. Needless to say, Draco was the last of his classmates to return to Hogwarts.

Speaking of Draco, he chose this moment to call out across the hall: "Hey, Potter!"

Harry groggily turned around in his seat before saying, "What is it, Malfoy?" all the malice gone from both parties.

"I was wondering if I might borrow your notes from Transfiguration yesterday since…I had to leave early on," Draco said, becoming slightly flushed from the memory while Harry outright smiled at it and laughed. Yesterday the class was transfiguring pillows into lizards, but Draco's did no such thing. The pillow - instead of turning into the required reptile - sprouted great sharp teeth the likes that are found in the mouths of alligators and bit into his hand, refusing to let go. Therefore, Blaise had to walk Draco to the Hospital Wing, neither showing up again until Care of Magical Creatures the period after.

"Of course you can, Draco. Though, may I be so bold as to say that mine are not the _best_ notes to copy?" Harry replied, slightly laughing still.

"Hey, I may be able to get the guts up to ask _you_ for a favor, but I'm not desperate enough to try Granger yet," he responded good-naturedly with a smile, "Plus, I don't feel like having my hand fall off in the process, just simply to get the basics."

Hermione performed a half-indignant “Ugh!”, not even bothering to try and cover up the amusement on her face and in her eyes.

"Now _that_ is something we can _both_ agree on," Harry said, "And since you know exactly how to talk your way into getting what you want, my notes are yours for the copying," he smiled.

"Brilliant! I humbly thank you for your generosity and compliments, Harry," Draco mock-bowed to him, "And I promise not to get anything on them. Just give them to me in Potions if you would, please."

"Of course," Harry stated and both boys turned back to their own breakfasts.

_'Oh hell, I have to teach first period NEWT level Potions…the world is so not fair,'_ Severus thought grumpily as he picked at his food once more, finally looking away from Draco and Harry. It wasn't that the students were bad or unskilled; it's just the thought of teaching such complicated things early in the morning was not the happiest prospect.

All of the Seventh years had their same classes all at the same time due to the small number. After the war they were forced to sit down with the rest of their classmates, as well as the teachers, to pick which courses they would all be taking and could agree on. This, of course, didn't suit Hermione very well, who had requested private lessons for classes she was not allowed to take during the day. Amazingly enough, they had all agreed whole-heartedly upon taking the NEWT level Potions class…well, more specifically they chose to take the NEWT level for almost all of their classes. The only exceptions being CoMC (which didn't have the NEWT option) and they all agreed to drop Divination (much to Hermione's relief) with the explanation that they didn't wish to see their futures - or lack there of - or risk seeing the past.

This new studiousness they were all willing to put forth came from the feeling that they owed it to their dearly departed classmates that no longer had the option to grow up. The remaining seven were determined to learn as much as they could and grow up to be successful so they could help to change the Wizarding World and make it so no more wars would occur in their lifetime. They felt that their duty was to do such and only such, and that they would be failing the others by doing otherwise.

_'They have all changed so much…all grown up so fast,'_ Severus reminisced. And we’re not talking of a motherly "I remember when you were this big" crap; no, it’s the "Look at how mature _I_ was in my Seventh year, and then look at you" thing. It wasn't fair, but neither could it be changed.

The Seven, as the teachers had taken to calling them, had become so close after the war; even Harry and Draco (as shown by their conversation earlier) had stopped their childish feud and only joke fought now to show how stupid they had been before, causing most of their fights to end in fits of laughter.

It scared Severus how much he cared for them. _'Never have I been as attached to a class as I am with…'_

Severus was pulled out of his musings and nearly jumped a foot in the air as the unmistakable feeling of a hot tongue sliding over his left nipple appeared. He looked down hastily but saw no one in front of him and his robes were still closed. He looked around the room in shock to see that some of the students were looking at him curiously, while others, like the Gryffindors, were too lost in their own worlds to notice. But Draco did. He looked at his Head of House with one raised brow, silently requesting an explanation, but Severus merely shook his head that it was nothing and both men went back to eating.

Less than a minute later Severus felt soft, warm lips kissing a rather sensitive spot on the left side of his neck. Without thinking, he gasped quietly and tilted his head to the right, allowing the invisible assaulter more room to work with as his eyes closing part way.

The lips then moved down his chest as if his clothes weren't even there, and he gasped again as they made their way down to the top of his pants where they placed slow, wet kisses there before…leaving entirely. What the hell was going on?

Snape's eyes snapped open and looked around the room to see that a good amount of students had arrived and joined those already seated. It was impossible for him to find a culprit in the large mass, and nobody was looking at him now to show that they had seen his behavior, not even Malfoy.

Tired of these…experiences (not to mention being bloody hard), the Professor excused himself to set up for his class with The Seven, and to take care of his little…problem.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spell Translation:  
> Sentire - meaning 'feel' in Italian...or something along those lines  
> Emozioni - meaning 'emotions' in Italian  
> Maybe not the best spell ever created, nor the most specific, but it does its job and serves its purpose. I wanted it to say 'Feel My Emotions', but that was far too long for a spell, so I simplified it some.


	2. Phantom Caress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see some of you have snuck off to read the entire work at ff.net. I mean, that's cool, but I really don't understand how you're making it through all my spelling/grammar errors without gagging; it's almost too much for me and I wrote it haha.
> 
> I still strongly suggest you stay here to read it; as soon as I finish editing all chapters, I plan to release all that's left at one time (I just did Chapter 4 earlier today and hope to still do at least one more tonight).

Severus had been left with only 20 minutes before The Seven would start to arrive. In that time, he had first planned the lesson (to try and distract himself from thinking of happenings), then jerked off at the memory of aforementioned happenings, and then lastly sat there for two minutes thinking about the morning events, all before Granger and Potter entered the classroom, followed closely by Bones and Boot.

The four of them didn't really pay Snape any attention since he seemed to be quite interested in a book at the moment, but instead sat in their assigned seats. Hermione sat first, and then Harry to the right of her but to the left of the aisle at the front, Susan and Terry (with an open seat to Terry's right for Justin) to the right of the aisle at the front, and then began to talk about pointless things such as what their own potential animagus forms might be were they ever to learn.

Draco and Blaise walked in and seated themselves a few minutes later, Blaise behind Hermione and Draco behind Harry. As soon as Draco had walked in, Harry began to look through his own school bag so that once the other was seated, he placed the Transfiguration notes in front of him and said, "There you go."

Draco examined the sheet and smiled, "Not too bad of a job there, Harry. Not Granger perfection, but this'll do quite nicely."

"You're welcome," Harry said while smiling and then turned back to the conversation. Only about 20 seconds later, Draco spoke up again.

"Animagi? Potter, were you daydreaming again?" Draco looked at the paper, shocked at what he saw.

"What?" Harry looked puzzled, _'A cute look for him,'_ the Potions Master thought as he looked at the boy through lowered lashes, _'Damn him for being so…perfect and making me fall for him!'_ He grumbled internally, not for the first time.

"Right here," Draco pointed to something on the parchment, "It says, 'Remember to work harder on getting McGonagall to agree to teach us Animagi; she's almost caved'. What does that mean?" He looked up at Harry again hopefully.

"I thought that would be obvious," Harry laughed.

"Is she really about to cave and teach us?" Draco looked all-out excited now.

The other four, besides Hermione, were looking on in wonder and, had anyone cared to look, so was Professor Snape.

"Harry and I have been working her down and we feel she might give in any day now," Hermione spoke up excitedly.

"That would be…so cool!" Terry exclaimed, to which Susan and Blaise eagerly agreed.

"We just need to discuss a few more things," Harry said as Justin Finch-Fletchley walked in and sat down just as the bell rang.

The Seven closed their mouths and faced forward as Snape calmly closed his book and stood up.

"No more talk of Animagus training will happen in here today," Snape stated firmly, and the students all nodded their heads, though Justin was a little confused on where the order had come from.

"Today we will be making veritaserum. As you all undoubtedly know what veritaserum is, I will not give a big speech of its past, nor its uses," there were a few sighs of relief before he continued, "As you also know, this is a very complicated potion to make, so it will take all two hours of your time here," Severus turned to the blackboard and waved his wand so that the procedure appeared, then turned back to his students, "There are the steps. You know the rules, as well as your partners. You may begin," with another wave of his wand, the ingredients appeared on each of their tables and, before he could even turn around, they were beginning to work.

Severus sat himself behind his desk and took up his book once more. For an hour or longer the class was uneventful, and two of the groups (all except the trio) were in the simmering stage of the veritaserum. Severus noticed that Granger was once again reading; Potter seemed to be doodling on a spare piece of parchment as he was lost in his thoughts; Blaise seemed to be reviewing some notes for another class, while Draco began copying Harry's Transfiguration notes. Soon enough, the two Hufflepuffs and one Ravenclaw were also in the simmering stage and then began on their own endeavors, as well.

All of a sudden, a rather cold hand touched Severus' right pectoral muscle, causing a small, nearly silent intake of breath before he schooled his features and breathing before continuing to "read" once more as the hand remained where it was.

But it didn't stay idle for long, no. The hand moved down his chest slowly, almost teasingly, drawing intricate designs here and there. It took the invisible ligament at least two minutes to finally settle on his already hard cock, again as if his pants weren't even an obstacle. The cold hand was slowly gaining heat, but still cold enough yet for the contrast of hot and cold to be incredibly erotic.

A sharp intake of breath through his nose and the tightening of his grip on his book were the only indications that anything was off as the exquisitely talented hand on his member moved faster and faster, building the tension and desire in the older man.

His assailant, whomever it may be, seemed to think he needed assistance in remaining quiet, because in the next moment a hard mouth was placed over his, effectively keeping his own mouth shut. _'The mouth of a man,'_ Severus realized, the thought sending him over the edge as he closed his eyes and gripped his book yet tighter. Thankfully the other’s lips _did_ stop his moan from escaping, thereby stopping any real questioning.

When Severus finally regained his breath he realized that there was just enough time for them to clean up before the bell would signal the end of the period.

"Bottle your samples, clean up, and then drop your vial on my desk," Snape ordered, not trusting enough to stand just yet.

The students followed their Professor's instructions quickly, with one person in the group bottling their potion and bringing it to him while the other cleaned…time that Severus used to utter a cleaning charm on his groin.

Blaise was the first to bring the potion, followed by Justin, and then by Harry. Severus did note, however, that the Potter boy was rather flushed before turning his back on his Professor once more. Severus raised a single eyebrow at this discovery as the wheels in his head began to work and derive a conclusion.

Therefore when the bell rang minutes later and The Seven were leaving, Snape called out, "Oh Potter," in a falsely sweet tone, leaving out the malice that has been comfortably missing since the war.

"Yes Professor?" Harry turned to face the man, feigning innocence while trying desperately to hide his nervousness.

"Would you stay here for a minute? I rather wish a word with you," he said with an evil smirk, which didn't help with Harry's nerves.

The other six looked back briefly before walking off. Once they were cleared out, Severus closed and locked the door along with a silencing charm with a wave of his wand.

"What is it, Professor?" Harry asked, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. Did the man know it was him that was causing the invisible phenomenons? Was he mad? Oh no…he surely was… _'I'm dead meat for sure!'_ Harry groaned inwardly.

"Sit, Potter," Snape ordered before finally standing up and moving so he was leaning back on the front of his desk as Potter did as he was told.

Once both were situated, Severus continued, "I couldn't help but notice you were a bit flushed towards the end of the lesson. Is something the matter?"

Harry shifted in his seat, "No sir, just a bit warm in here was all."

"Then how come you were the only one who felt warm? You aren't sick, perhaps, are you? That wouldn't do at all," Severus said and, to Harry's horror, began walking towards him. When Snape was standing directly in front of Harry, he reached a hand out and placed it on the boy's forehead to check if it was overly warm.

Harry jumped slightly at the contact and hissed before he reached up quickly to remove the hand from his forehead. He always hated when someone touched his scar the wrong way - not a soothing way - and what Snape just did was definitely _not_ soothing.

When the younger man reached up and grabbed his hand briefly, Severus could feel that it was cold; not one caused by weather or the dampness in the dungeons, but one of natural coldness. He smirked imperceptibly at this discovery and walked back to his original spot in front of his own desk.

"Well, you're obviously not sick, which is good. What ever would Hogwarts do if you fell ill?" Snape said, sarcasm dripping heavily from his voice.

Harry only scowled half-heartedly before saying, "They would all cry hysterically and lessons would be cancelled for as long as I remain ill so that everyone, students and teachers alike, could linger by my bed constantly," Harry smirked now, "And of course you, Professor, would take up permanent residency in the chair closest to my bed, for you would be the most worried out of everyone due to your overly big, caring heart."

"Touché, Mr. Potter, though perhaps just a tad delusional."

"Delusional's what I do best, sir, you know that."

"Indeed I do. But back to the topic at hand," Severus smirked to see some of the confidence leave the boy’s eyes, "You weren't thinking of something that would make you flustered, perchance, were you?" he asked in his teacher voice now.

Harry looked down at the stone floor, "I…"

"Will look me in the eye when speaking," Severus interrupted sternly.

Harry slowly looked him in the eye and continued, "I just…what I mean to say is…"

"Were you or were you not thinking inappropriate things towards the end of my class?" his patience wearing thin.

"I was, yes," he admitted with a blush, but he didn't dare look away from the other man's eyes.

Severus leaned forward a little with his arms crossed over his chest and quietly asked, "About me?" If Severus Snape knew how to blush he certainly would have but, as it were, his face stayed the same milky white.

"I…" Harry wanted more than anything to divert his eyes but didn't have the guts to do it. Then he wondered _'Why the hell am I scared to tell him it's me? I wanted him to find out and it's obvious that he enjoys it…but (and I don't care what anyone else says, there's always a but), what if now that he knows it's me he doesn't like it anymore?'_

"Do we have to discuss this now? I'm late for Charms, sir."

Severus looked like he wanted to explode at that but simply balled his fists and ground out, "As you wish. You will show up here tonight right after dinner. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir, thank you."

"I'll write a note to Professor Flitwick so he knows where you were," Severus turned around and hastily wrote a note on a spare bit of parchment before turning again and handing it to him.

Just as Harry was about to walk out the now unlocked door, Snape spoke up, "Oh, and Potter?" Harry turned at the statement, "I know it's you that's been doing it."

Harry looked like a fish out of water: very scared and gapping, "Do you hate me now?" he finally managed to get out of his tight throat quietly.

Severus thought for a second and then said, "No, I don't. Possibly quite the contrary."

Harry smiled brilliantly at that, "Really?"

"Yes. But that is a conversation for a later time. Say…our 7 o'clock meeting tonight?" he smirked.

"I look forward to it," Harry smiled once more and then left.

Severus stood there and shook his head in disbelief, a small smile on his lips, "I am absolutely going to hell for this," he said before turning to straighten up the room.


	3. Silent Happiness

The rest of Severus' classes before lunch were thankfully uneventful. He didn't know if he could coherently teach Third and Fourth years while Harry's hands and lips roamed freely over his body.

For Harry's part, he was much happier than he had been in awhile, so of course this had to arouse the suspicions of the rest of The Seven since they thought they'd be needing to cheer him up after seeing Snape after class.

"Hey Harry, what’s going on with you?" Terry asked on their way to lunch (the small group could always be seen traveling everywhere together until dinner these days).

"Nothing. Why?" Harry asked, trying not to blush.

"You seem…happier today. Any particular reasoning?" Justin cut in with a suggestive smirk.

"What? Can't I be happy without a reason?"

"Sorry, Harry, but none of us can," Draco said seriously.

"Therefore, we have deduced that there's a new someone in your life," Blaise stated proudly.

Harry blushed a deeper shade of red and didn't answer, simply ducking his head to look at the ground in front of him with more scrutiny with a small smile on his face.

Hermione and Susan squealed at this before Hermione asked what was on everyone's minds: "So who's the lucky guy, Harry?" After the war, Harry had revealed to this group that he was gay, to which they all readily accepted, followed by Draco and Blaise coming out, as well.

"Come on, Boss," Susan said, half teasing and half using the respect the title deserved, using the name they'd used for him during the war, "Who're we going to tell? Honestly. Anyone we could tell that would care is walking with us right now," she pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that, you guys, but…" He trailed off as they approached the doors to the Great Hall.

"But nothing, Potter," Draco said sternly as they walked through the doors and then stopped the other man’s movements by placing a hand on his arm. Once he was stopped, the other six gathered around him, effectively blocking the entrance so no one else could enter yet.

"You can make this simple or you can make this difficult," Draco continued, only half joking.

Harry shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as he felt the gaze of the few students in lower years that were gathered already as well as the teachers. As he looked the other six in the eye he saw nothing but encouragement, caring, and harmless curiosity in each set.

He sighed heavily, "Fine, there's a guy…but I really can’t tell you who it is…at least not yet," he pleaded with his eyes.

The small group smiled fondly at him, the girls almost out-right ecstatic, and gave him small words of encouragement.

"You'll tell us when you're ready, and whenever that is is fine…as long as it's not _too_ long," Justin smiled.

The rest agreed with Justin and all went to their own House tables. Each of The Seven had found solace in another member except for Harry. Susan and Terry were the first to start openly dating, and then Draco and Blaise declared that they had been secretly dating since around the middle of the war, soon followed by Hermione and Justin…leaving Harry all alone…only not. They were members of an extremely tight group that would stand together until the end of their days. Harry hoped that would have his own individual to stand with while not with the group.

Severus Snape had watched the whole scene at the door on the edge of his seat - along with the rest of the staff - waiting to see if everything was alright. They had learned ages ago that The Seven wouldn't cause trouble, that the rest would assist any in trouble and would contact a teacher if they were unable to supply the needed aid themselves.

When Harry was finally seated, he chanced a look up at the staff table to find Snape starring at him. The older man raised a questioning eyebrow, silently asking if he had told the others anything about what happened after Potions this morning, to which Harry imperceptibly shook his head before returning to his lunch.

It didn't take long until Severus felt a body climb onto his lap, facing him, which wrapped its arms around his neck and placed its face on the side of his neck. Harry's invisible self seemed content enough to just be close to him.

It didn't take Severus too long to learn that he was able to move forward so he could eat without disturbing the force on his lap. As he looked over to Harry, he saw that the boy seemed to be very interested in picking at his food instead of eating it with a little content smile on his face.

For Harry's part, he could suddenly feel a calculating gaze on him so he brought himself back. Severus immediately felt the loss of the body as he watched the boy jump slightly, as if being awoken suddenly from a nightmare, before he turned his green eyes to him.

It was only about five seconds later that Severus felt a hand on each of his knees, giving him the distinct impression that Harry was kneeling in front of and facing him. All this happened as the two men stared each other in the eye.

Severus felt the hands leave his knees, only to feel the back of his left hand being grasped by Harry's left so the palm was tilted up slightly. Severus lifted a single eyebrow at the boy he still had his eyes on, but Harry simply smiled mischievously. Before Severus knew what was happening, he felt a subtly sharp pressure on the top left portion of his hand and looked down quickly to see words being formed. When he looked back at Harry, eyes wide, he noticed that the other man was now staring out the window with an extremely concentrated look on his face, his right hand could be seen moving ever so slightly under the table.

Then the pressure was gone and his hand was let go, but the presence of the other body was still there, his left hand now lying on Severus' right forearm. The actual boy turned towards him again and mouthed _'look down'_ , so Severus did to see messy blue letters on his hand as if they were written with a muggle pen.

_'Do you want me to stop this?'_ the words read, and as butterflies took over his stomach he looked in to the brilliantly green orbs and faintly shook his head no. He could see the boy visibly relax and smiled up at him sheepishly, to which he quirked up the left side of his mouth slightly in response.

Students began to leave so the two stopped their silent discussion as Harry and Hermione walked to the entrance of the Great Hall to join Draco and Blaise in waiting for the other three, as they always did.

The rest of classes went by slowly for both Harry and Severus, mutually impatient for seven o'clock to roll around. Dinner, too, was slow and over-all uneventful. There was a Third year that spilled pumpkin juice all down his front halfway through the meal, and then a Hufflepuff accidentally tipped their plate so all the contents fell onto their lap. Truly nothing out of the ordinary or exciting.

Severus, not being able to take the strain and anxiety, left a quarter to seven to head down to his classroom. Harry watched him all the way out, then waited 10 minutes before turning to Hermione.

"I've got to go now, Hermione," he said.

"Why? Where are you going?" She looked up from her book with a questioning look.

"Snape wants to talk to me some more since I convinced him to let me leave earlier this morning. _'I'm not through getting in to that twisted little head of yours yet, Potter!'_ " Harry imitated Snape's voice, though the teacher had never really said that. He put on a resigned face, just for good measure.

"I hope he's not too harsh on you. He does know what you've been through, after all," she looked genuinely caring and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he said as he rose. He glanced around the hall, first to the Hufflepuff table, then the Ravenclaws, and finally the Slytherins, finding each member of The Seven and nodding curtly to each before walking out. The five simultaneously looked towards Hermione with the utmost curiosity in their eyes, but Hermione just mouthed _'Meeting with Snape'_ and they all cringed on Harry's behalf.

Harry was walking quickly through the corridors of the old castle and down to the dungeons. He was heading for the Potions classroom - because he didn't particularly think that Severus wanted to meet him in his private chambers - and he hoped that that's where he'd find the other man.

He knocked on the door tentatively, scared out of his mind that Snape was going to hex him still. When he heard the silky voice of the Potions Master, he timidly opened the door and closed it behind him. He saw Severus wave his wand at the door from where he sat behind his desk, and he could only guess he was putting locking and silencing charms up. The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

There was silence in the cold dungeon room as the two men simply stared at each other, sizing up the other as you would an opponent in a battle.

"So, Mr. Potter…" Severus said, not intending to say anything else, and not knowing what he would say if he were given the chance.

"Professor," Harry greeted, inclining his head slightly in greeting.

"Shall we get rid of formalities since you've somehow found a way to feel me up without my knowledge or consent?" He raised a single eyebrow as the boy blushed, "Harry?"

"I'm sorry I did what I did, Sn…Severus…I really hope you're not mad at me," Harry was looking at his feet, ashamed of his previous acts.

"I'm curious, Harry," Severus said, standing up and moving to the other side of his desk as the other finally looked up again, "As to why you felt you had to go to such extreme lengths to catch my attention as you did?"

"I…I thought…you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me that way, sir, so I figured that if you saw…well, _felt_ what I have to offer you in that respect that once you found out…well I was hoping you'd still want to continue it. Except with the _real_ me and not my imagination," he said shyly, remembering to keep his eyes locked with Severus'.

"So you decided to cast a spell on me, one that I was not even aware existed, actually, to show me how much you…desire me in hopes that it would cause me to fall in lust with you? Is that correct?"

Severus didn't get a verbal answer at that; he got the feeling of those pouty lips on the side of his neck again, very briefly, and he smiled wickedly.

"Ah, so that _is_ the situation, is it?" he asked as Harry blushed some more, still not daring to look away, "Well, did it ever occur to you, Harry, that maybe, just _maybe_ , you didn't need the aid of this charm, as lovely as it is, to make me fall in lust with you?"

Harry's eyes grew wide at the admission, "I…but I thought…"

"You thought wrong, obviously. For a long time now I've noticed what an attractive young man you've become. For a long time now I've seen the real you and relished in the fact that you are not your father. For a long time now I've abandoned the wills of lust and turned to love," Severus said, walking steadily closer to the green eyed boy before him, and by the word 'love' he was right in front of the wide-eyed youth.

"You love me?" Harry asked in an awed whisper.

"Yes, Harry, I do," He leaned down closer, but stopped mere inches away from the lips he so wanted to bruise in a searing kiss.

"I love you too, Severus. I have since the beginning of my sixth year," he admitted.

"When we began working so closely together? Being sent on missions as a pair and having our own language and finally being able to understand each other? You mean _that_ time?" he whispered, looking in Harry's eyes searchingly.

"Yes, that's exactly it. I saw the real you and had you there to protect and look after me. I loved those times for that, honestly, even if it was the calm before the storm so to speak."

"Me too," he lightly smiled and finally brought their mouths together for a sweet, meaningful kiss, though it turned quite heated after a minute or less, both their bodies pressing full against the other. It was when Harry tried to start undoing the buttons on Severus' robes that he pulled back panting.

"No, Harry," he said as he placed his right hand on Harry's cheek as the latter looked back at him in confusion. He wasn't that much taller than the green eyed beauty before him, only an inch or two, but that just made everything seem all that more ok, "I want to take this slow, ok? Is that all right?"

"That's perfectly okay, Severus, I don't want to rush you into anything you're not ready for," he smiled reassuringly.

"Thank you," he said before pulling the younger man against him again and began to kiss him once more, both getting lost and forgetting about time and life for the few fleeting minutes (which really turned out to be 20, they discovered as they looked at the clock to see that it was 7:32).

Severus slowly pulled away giving little, quick kisses to Harry's lips before saying, "Do you want to move this into my chambers? They're warmer and more comfortable, I swear," he asked nervously, laughing a little at the end.

"That'd be wonderful," Harry agreed and Severus led the way out of the classroom. They turned to the right upon leaving the room and walked a few paces down to find another door on the right and entered through it, Harry going in first as to avoid being seen by the owners of the voices that sounded from the other end of the hall.

Upon entering the quarters, Harry was pleasantly surprised at his surroundings, for when entering through the door, he walked directly into the living area, the door positioned in the middle of one of the walls. There was a plush, dark blue carpet covering the stone floor as a black, soft leather couch was sitting sideways and facing towards the right wall with a deep mahogany wooden coffee table in front of it in the relative middle of the room. On the back wall, (being the one opposite the door) there was a decent sized fireplace and two high backed black cloth chairs facing diagonally towards each other and the fire at the same time. Off to the right in the back corner was a formal wooden desk with a lamp on one corner and books piled up on it, bookshelves positioned behind the wooden chair.

To the left of where Harry stood, still in front of the main door, there was a wooden swinging door to which Harry assumed was the kitchen area, for who would put a swinging door as the entrance to anything else? And to the right was another door of stained wood, which he could only guess led to the bedroom. But where was the bathroom, then?

Severus came forward, pointed to the swinging door and confirmed his hypothesis that it lead to the kitchen, and the door to the right was to his bedroom. The bathroom, he soon found out, was connected off of the bedroom, so you had to go through that first to get to the facilities.

Severus then placed his right hand on Harry's lower back and softly guided him to the couch. Severus half sat, half laid, his back being supported by the arm rest on the side closest to the fireplace and motioned for Harry to join him. The younger man settled himself so that the left side of his body was in between his Professor and the back of the couch with his head and right hand on Severus' chest.

Severus lit the fire so there would be more warmth in the room, though he figured they probably wouldn't need it with their bodies in such close proximity. Once settled, they began slowly kissing each other, never tiring of simply exploring the other.

The two stayed like that, comfortably lying in each other’s arms while talking and kissing until nine, when they both decided that it'd be best not to draw too much attention to themselves by Harry staying longer.

As Severus walked Harry to the door, he kissed him good night and was about to open the door when Harry stopped him.

The boy grabbed Severus' left hand which still had the question on it from lunch and showed it to him once more, not saying a word but looking at him questioningly.

_'Do you want me to stop this?'_

Severus smiled and gave him the same response as before: "No."

Harry smiled then asked, "Well I know you don't want to stop what we have going, but do you want me to cancel the spell?"

Severus thought for a second or two before responding, "No, I rather think it's an exciting addition to our relationship. Though I have been curious as to what its limitations are…and what, precisely, it does."

"Well, as you've probably already figured out, you feel what I do to you in my daydreams. The only restriction being that you have to be within seeing range for it to work, but that doesn't mean I have to be looking at you for you to feel it," Harry explained.

"How'd you get the words to appear on my hand at lunch?"

"Easy. The charm makes it so it's actually happening to you and whatever I do to you in there, shows up on you," Harry tried, but at Severus' confused look he went on, "Like with the pen, I wrote it in my daydream and it showed up, right?" Severus confirmed, "Right, and when I gave you that hand job during potions, you had to clean the mess, right?" Severus blushed a little before confirming, to which Harry smiled, "Now it's time for a little example. Severus, if you would unbutton your robes enough to expose your neck, please."

The older man did as he was told and then looked at Harry skeptically, but the boy was already lost in his own thoughts. Severus felt the slick, hot tongue slide up his neck from his collarbone and then kissed the side of it wetly. Then, just like that, the mouth was gone again.

Severus opened up his eyes that he didn't remember closing and looked at Harry with no little amount of lust, to which Harry smiled brightly.

"Feel your neck, Severus."

Confused, he did so to find wetness there in the exact spots where Harry's invisible self had just touched him, and his eyes grew wide, "See? Whatever I do to you in my head shows up on you," he smiled cheekily.

Severus was still at a loss for words as Harry leaned up and kissed him before letting himself out, saying "Goodnight, Professor," and leaving the older man dazed in front of the now closed door.

When he finally came to again, he whispered, "I think I could get used to this charm," before turning and heading to his room.


	4. A Bit of Teasing Goes a Long Way

Severus and Harry didn't have class together again until two days later on that Thursday, so they were both able to focus on their own pressing endeavors...excluding meals, of course.

During every meal, Harry would indulge them both by doing anything of his choice to Severus, since the older man really couldn't do anything back and had no easy way of requesting anything.

However, on his way to the staff table for lunch on Wednesday (the day after Harry revealed that it was him), Severus stopped briefly and whispered something in his ear quickly before moving on.

Harry had smiled at the request and waited around five minutes before putting the game into action. First, he kissed the juncture of the older man's neck and shoulder for a good three minutes, not getting much of a visual response from the snarky Professor to anyone who didn't know what to look for. But Harry knew the other man was thoroughly enjoying the treatment because he was gripping his fork tighter and was glaring down at his plate to try and not show that anything was off. Surly if inanimate objects could die, or even cower in fear, that man's plate would no longer be in existence.

Next, Harry moved his mouth slowly and wetly down Severus' throat and his chest. He drew the process out for as long as he could stand to before finally moving to the spot Severus had requested to get attention: his nipples.

Once he reached his destination, he slowly worked the right nub in between his teeth, watching the man squirm and struggle to keep his composure. As soon as Harry felt the right one was abused enough, he kissed his way over to the left one and gave it much the same treatment as he did the last.

The "real" Harry saw that the other man was becoming increasingly worse at hiding his enjoyment, so decided to aid him in his struggle. He began to run small, soothing circles on Severus' sides while he kept up his previous actions with his mouth. The action visibly helped because the Potions Master's mask slipped back into place and he was able to eat again. The fact that his hand movements were choppy is, of course, of no importance at all.

Harry kept alternating between the two nipples while drawing lazy circles on the older man's sides for only another five minutes...for that's all the time that was needed to fulfill Severus' request of Harry making him come in the Great Hall without touching his cock. His scream was caught by Harry's right hand, which had moved to stop all questionable noises from escaping.

After he was able to focus on certain objects again, Severus locked eyes with Harry, performed his own form of a smile before muttering a cleaning spell and, standing up, strode out of the room to his dungeons for First year Gryffindors and Slytherins.

The two men didn't have any reason to see each other until breakfast the next day, which Harry already had a plan for to make it more exciting.

After half of the meal had passed without event, Severus began to think that Harry wasn't going to do anything this time and spared one last longing glance towards his boy wonder before giving up hope and letting his guard down.

Not two minutes later, Severus felt the familiar hands on his inner thighs and took a deep intake of breath. The hands sensuously moved up the "uncovered" skin lightly and by-passed the rock hard cock it would've found if it had gone close enough. However, we all know that just because Harry didn't physically feel it, that didn't stop him from seeing the noticeable bulge in his lap.

Harry continued his path up the older man's taut stomach, stopping at his nipples where he began to tweak and pull at the nubs. He continued on like this for a few minutes, leaving his mouth out of all the actions, though Severus could see the real Harry licking his lips while staring out the window.

Each man could easily see each other now since Harry had convinced Hermione to sit at the head of the Gryffindor table and Severus had switched from his usual side on the Headmasters right to the seat on the end closest to the Gryffindors. The seat changes went unnoticed at the Gryffindor table since their two Seventh years were used to seat hopping, but Severus's was more widely questioned, especially by the Slytherins and a few select members of the staff. McGonagall and Sprout sent questioning, wary glances at him at the beginning, no doubt worried that he was looking for more pointless reasons to deduct points from Gryffindor, the paranoid old bats.

Severus watched Harry discretely from behind a curtain of hair as the young man began biting his bottom lip as his invisible hands continued to wreak havoc on his nipples. Then, suddenly, the younger man’s invisible self softly kissed the tip of his hard cock and he couldn't help but buck his hips a little, trying to gain more friction.

Harry saw as well as felt the minute buck and smirked a little at the man’s reaction. He placed his mouth over the head and began to suck just that little section, tonguing the slit a little. As Severus moaned quietly, Harry began to bob his head, taking a little more of the shaft in his mouth each time he descended. The spell allowed Harry to hear every noise that Severus made, no matter how quiet or how far away, so he was able to determine when the man was near completion, which was going to be extremely soon by the looks of things.

"Harry! Harry, snap out of it!" Hermione's voice broke through his thoughts as she shook his arm.

At the same time that she was successful in bringing Harry back to the present, Severus felt the loss of the warm mouth and his head shot up to glare darkly at the boy.

"Sorry 'Mione, guess I was deep in my own world," He smiled apologetically, silently thanking her in her perfect timing. Even if she hadn't roused him he'd still have left Severus right at that stage anyway, out of curiosity to see how the man deals with the situation.

"It's ok, but everyone's waiting on us," She said as she stood up and signaled to the other five at the door that they'd only be a minute longer.

"Right, we should get going then," He said as he grabbed his bag and stood up. As the two began to walk away, Harry looked back over his left shoulder at the stunned Potions Master then winked slightly at him and smirked before turning towards the door once more.

Severus sat perfectly still for a few minutes simply staring at the doors until Dumbledore walked over to him and began to speak.

"Severus my boy, there's only five minutes until your NEWT level Potions class. Maybe you'll want to get there on time," The old wizard’s blue eyes twinkled during every word.

Severus snapped his attention to the man with wide eyes, "What?"

"Honestly," The Headmaster laughed.

"Oh Bugger!" Severus quietly swore and strode out of the hall quickly, placing a concealing charm on his nether regions as he went to conceal the erection that had not yet abated.

He stomped into the dungeon classroom just as the bell rang and went to the front of the class, glaring at each of the students in turn. His gaze lingered on Justin briefly, the last one to be looked at, before snapping his head to look at Harry as he simultaneously shouted "Potter!"

Harry jumped slightly at the loud noise, but quickly regained his composure, "Yes sir?" He asked docilely.

"We need to talk. Follow me," He said and began to stalk over to a door to his left as Harry stood up.

Severus opened the door when he reached it and faced the class again, "The rest of you will open your books to page 248 and read up on the potion you will be making once we return," He finished his sentence and ushered Harry in to the office before closing, locking, and silencing the door and room.

Once they were alone they simply stared each other down, Severus standing with his arms crossed and Harry staring at him defiantly.

"So? Anything to say for yourself?" Severus inquired coldly.

"On what topic, exactly?" He asks cheekily.

"You know which one, Harry."

"I was woken from my daze and had to get to _your_ class, so I couldn't finish," Harry used the well supplied excuse that Hermione unwittingly supplied him.

"Well, now you have time to finish. I don't like half-assed attempts to do something."

"You're not even hard anymore, Severus," Harry pointed out, gesturing to the front of the man’s robes.

Severus sighed heavily while rolling his eyes as he cancelled the concealing charm, "How you managed to make it through puberty without learning that spell I have no idea. Seems there’s still some things you need to learn."

"Oh yes, I definitely need to learn that nice charm," Harry said as he stared hungrily at the man’s now tented groin.

Severus strode forward until his mouth was mere millimeters from Harry's own and said menacingly, "Finish what you started."

"Now, sir?" Harry feigned shock and innocence, though on the inside he was past ready to fall to his knees.

Severus growled and grabbed Harry's hair, bringing him yet closer and snarled, "Harry, I love you, I really do, but right now all I want is your mouth on my cock to finish off the exquisite blow job you started during breakfast."

Harry's breathing was shallow and his head began to swim as he retorted, "My my, Severus, what ever happened to not rushing things?" he mocked as he lowered himself to his knees and began working on undoing the buttons.

"Your mouth happened. Now suck," Severus ordered as Harry freed his swollen member.

Harry happily repeated his earlier performance, not bothering to tease as much this time and going straight for the deep throat.

Severus was free to make as much noise as he wanted for once, which enhanced the experience for both involved. Harry only had to bob his head for a couple of minutes before Severus shot his seed down his willing throat since he was still so tightly wound up from before.

"Oh god, Harry," Severus panted, "That was amazing."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," He smiled cheekily, wiping his mouth.

"Very much so," Severus said as he lifted Harry from his knees and pulled him in to a heated kiss.

Harry mewled at the contact and couldn't help his hips from thrusting forward into Severus' hip.

The older man pulled away from the kiss and smirked at his younger lover, "Need a hand?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Ha ha, Severus; do you have to be so corny about it?"

"Depends. Do you have to be so _horny_ about it?" He laughed and Harry couldn’t help the exasperated eye roll in response.

"Oh come on! I just sucked you off for real - something I've been wanting to do for a long time now - and you expect me not the get off on that?"

"I _am_ rather fuckable, aren't I?"

"And oh so humble to boot," Harry smirked, "So let me make this real simple for you, ok? I want your hand," Harry took Severus' right hand in his own, "on my cock," He placed the palm of the older man's hand on his groin and hissed, "So you can easily squeeze (gasp), and pull (moan) and tease (ah!), Severus!" Harry moaned as he arched into the other man's touch.

"Oh god, Harry," He moaned as he quickly opened the younger man's robes and jeans underneath. Once all of the obstacles were out of the way, he took Harry's engorged member in his hand and began to slowly and lovingly stroke the shaft.

Harry's breath became shallow as he made small keening noises in to the older man's neck which he had begun nuzzling.

"Faster, Severus, please," He whispered into his Professor’s ear, and Severus eagerly complied.

The younger man found himself at a loss of what to do with his hands, so he finally settled on placing his left hand on Severus' back to pull him closer as his right went down to his side and clenched in the material of his robes. With the now fast pace Severus had established it only took a few minutes for Harry to come undone while moaning Severus’ name.

The two men stood together panting, each laying their head on the other’s shoulder while clinging to one another as if their very lives depended on their continued contact.

"Thank you. I'm not sure how well I would've done in class without releasing that...tension," Harry spoke up after he regained a normal breathing pattern.

"I should be thanking you. I fear I've gone too long without the intimate touch of another that I had much forgotten the intensity."

"I'm sure we can fix that little problem. It'll take a lot of time and practice, but I'm sure you'll catch on again."

"Just like riding a broomstick," Severus smirked.

"As the old adage goes," Harry smirks cheekily.

"Brat,” He smiled, “We should be heading back to class now; we've been gone nearly 15 minutes."

"And how, sir, am I supposed to act? Happy? Sad? Distraught? Or maybe sexually sated, perhaps?" Harry lifted an eyebrow with a smile, acting out each emotion as he said it.

"Sad, as if your world is crashing down and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Act as if you'd been crying and would be ready to start again any second," Severus stated matter-of-factly as he straightened his robes.

Harry pouted, "But I rather liked the idea of the last one. How am I supposed to act sad when I'm feeling happier then I have in a long time?" He asked as he finally did up his pants and robes as well.

"I trust your acting abilities, that's how. Now get ready, I'm opening the door," Severus warned after performing a cleaning spell on them both, and Harry schooled his features into fake discontentedness so they could walk out of the office.

As they emerged in to the classroom, the six students all looked up from their books curiously to see Snape stalking with a scowl firmly in place, and Harry following at a slower pace, looking dejectedly at the floor.

Once Harry was seated and Severus was once again facing the class, the students turned their attention to the dark-cloaked figure.

"Now as all of you, besides Mr. Potter, should know by now you will be making an invisibility potion today. Since it's a rather simple assignment, you will be working individually on it. Don't worry, Mr. Potter, I'm sure even _your_ small brain can figure out how to brew it correctly without reading the background or with the help of Miss Granger," Snape smirked and Harry glared a little, though he was careful to still look distraught over...something, apparently.

"The potion takes exactly 53 minutes to make," He waved his wand so the instructions appeared on the board and the ingredients were next to everyone's individual cauldrons, "You may begin."

The class worked diligently - Harry still looking for all the world like his heart had gone missing and was surly lost forever - for a good half hour before anything happened.

Severus, who was seated at his desk grading Third year papers, suddenly felt "Harry's" hand grab his, much as he had at Breakfast yesterday morning, followed closely by the sharp prick of the pen on his sensitive palm.

After it had left he discretely looked down to see what Harry had written to him. There, in the same blue ink as before, were the words _'Play along’_. Just what was the boy playing _at?_

Severus looked up at Harry with a raised brow to see said boy looking at him through lowered lashes, so he nodded his head minutely letting him know he'd play along.

Harry quirked the left side of his mouth up a little and then added some Powdered Ginger Root, followed by the Ground Unicorn's Horn. Severus saw this and his eyes widened immediately. The boy had put the Unicorn's Horn in way too early! He'd just ruined his potion...on _purpose._

"Potter!" Severus shouted as he stood up and strode over to the spot in front of Harry's desk.

Harry jumped and raised his "sad" eyes to look at the towering figure in front of him. "Sir?" He asked quietly.

"Are you aware that you just added Unicorn's Horn to your potion? The ingredient that isn't supposed to be added for another seven minutes?" Snape shouted, honestly enraged.

Harry's eyes grew wide with fear, "I...no, sir, I thought it was Crushed Daisy Petals."

"Were you paying attention _at all_ to what you were doing?"

Harry looked at his feet for a minute but, upon remembering Snape's order to always look him in the eye while speaking, he raised his gaze once more, "I guess not, sir."

"Do you realize you haven't botched a potion since your fifth year?" He asked and Harry nodded, "Obviously our little chat earlier wasn't enough for you, Mr. Potter. Well then, we can just arrange more time...how's all day tomorrow for you?"

"But sir! That's my only free day before the weekend! That's not fair!" Harry shouted indignantly, eyes alighting with challenge.

Snape only sneered at the comment before responding, "Good suggestion, Potter. Let's make it all day tomorrow, _plus_ all weekend. You will take all of your meals down here, and if you're really good I might just let you back up to your dorm to sleep at night. Now everyone get back to work! Potter, seems you can due to read the passage after all," Severus said menacingly, "Oh, and 30 points from Gryffindor for stupidity," he stalked away from all the gapping students and sat down in his chair heavily, trying to hide his smile.

Harry cleared up his ruined potion and sat down to read the passage about the potion.

Instead of reading, however, he "sent" himself to Severus, grabbed the man's right hand to write on this time and left a little note.

The older man looked down once the scratching was gone to see what the boy had to say about his performance. He read it and allowed a small smile to grace his lips for a moment.

_'Brilliant! Couldn't have gone better!  
Love,  
Harry'_

For once, the two were in complete agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think you can understand how much I love this chapter. While editing it I was like "Damn past self, you rocked that."
> 
> I truly hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.


	5. Renegade Lovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter caused more uproarious discontent from my readers than anything I heretofore have experienced.
> 
> It's heart breaking. It's awful and inexcusable. But you don't have to suffer though the unfair wait for the next chapter as my original readers did, so there's that.

At dinner on that same Thursday that the "detention" was given out, Snape made an appearance at the Gryffindor table.

On the way to his new seat, he stopped behind Harry and said, "Mr. Potter," in a menacing tone.

Harry turned around, shocked, "Yes Professor? Did you need something?"

"I simply wanted to inform you of your arrival time for your detentions this weekend, since I lacked to designate one earlier," Severus said, using all his will power to concentrate on his tirade instead of the invisible lips that were assaulting his neck.

"Oh? And what time, sir, would you like me to come?" Harry feigned innocence and cooperation while cupping the older man's groin while saying the second part of the sentence.

Severus had to clear his throat before answering as the hand left, "Right after breakfast will suffice."

"With all due respect, Professor, everyone eats breakfast at separate times...so what time would you like?" Harry put on a face that made it seem as though he loathed the man and the conversation.

"You're always up early even on your day off, so 7:30 should be adequate."

"Very good, sir. I hope you saved all the dirty cauldrons that accumulated during the day so I can clean them all weekend long," he smiled with fake cheer.

"Oh yes, they will keep you busy for quite some time. Then after cauldrons, there's a floor that hasn't been cleaned decently since your fifth year. I haven't found another who could make dull, beaten up stone shine quite the way you do."

"With all the times you made me clean it, you expected me not to find a way to do it perfect?"

"Mr. Potter, are you giving me lip?" Snape snarled menacingly...that is, as menacingly as one can when one of the hottest boys one's ever seen is sending their 'Fantasy Spirit' over to nibble said one’s lips.

Harry looked appalled and a teensy-bit scared, just for effect, "Of course not, Professor, I would never dream of talking back to you."

"See that it stays that way," He sent a warning glare to the boy, "Don't forget, 7:30 tomorrow morning; and don't be late!" he managed to say before walking away and sitting down in his seat moodily. He wasn't upset that Harry had this certain ability to bring pleasure without even physically touching him...in the classic sense, that is. However, he was _very_ displeased that the little, conniving, hot brat had the nerve to use it against him in public! Though this still wasn't enough to rule out that it made him achingly hard every. Single. Bloody. Time.

After his display before the meal Harry decided to take pity on Severus, so there were no special happenings between dinner and the arrival time for Harry's detentions the next day. Alright, so there might have been a small amount of groping during breakfast, just so Harry knew Severus would be ready...but that's all.

The soft knock at the door came as no surprise to Severus, who was pretending to tidy up his desk. "Enter," he called out, continuing to sort some papers that were destined to be messed up again soon enough.

Harry tentatively entered the room, suddenly very nervous about the weekend ahead. Severus noticed this and questioned him, "Are you scared?" he almost laughed at the look on his face...almost, but not quite. He wasn’t _that_ cruel.

Harry nodded slightly after he closed the door and turned to face the man again, "I know it's mutual, Severus, but it's still very new to me and it does scare me a little to know that what I've dreamt of will come true..." He couldn't help but look at his feet at that, and Severus said nothing to correct him.

"If it scares you then we don't have to do it," Severus said reassuringly, thinking it best to keep his distance for now until Harry became more comfortable.

"No! It's not that I don't want to...it's just...I'm nervous..." He looked into his Professor's eyes pleadingly, and it very nearly melted the older man's heart to see it. He couldn't help but cross over to the boy and gather him into his arms.

"I won't hurt you, Harry...I won't. If you're not ready, then I can respect that. We’ll take it slow, just as we said originally."

Severus was aware how different it must be for the young man to perform such tasks in his mind versus in actuality. One always seems more confident in one’s own thoughts than in actual practice, or so Severus had heard; he himself had always been the same, both mind and actions.

Harry wrapped his arms around the slightly taller man and quietly said, "Thank you."

"Of course. Would it make you feel more comfortable if we kept things in here instead of going back to my chambers?"

"No, I like your chambers; they're soothing."

So it was that the renegade lovers strategically made it safely in to the locked and silenced chambers of one Severus Snape. Once inside they both settled on the couch with Severus lying on his back, head facing towards the door, while Harry lay on top of him, front to back.

"So we'll start slow, as agreed," Severus started after a while, playing with Harry's slightly smaller hands, "Tell me, how did you find out about this spell and how in blazes did you manage to put it on me without my noticing?"

Harry giggled a little before answering, "I found it in the restricted section. It was in a book that was hidden behind some others that hadn't been touched for a long time, called _‘A Magician’s Guide to Secret Pleasure’_ , if you'll believe that," Harry said the last part since Severus had snorted at the title, "As for placing it on you...well...that took quite a bit more work. You see, first I had to know what the password to your chambers was, so I waited outside your door for hours under my invisibility cloak to hear it. Then, knowing the password, I came back two nights later and quietly snuck around your rooms, put a spell on you to temporarily make you unable to awake from your dream - a form of the immobulous charm - then performed the necessary spell. I then took the other charm off and quietly snuck back out."

"Hmm, all that work just to get me to fall in lust with you," Severus mused in a sarcastically dreamy voice.

"Not lust, Severus, _love_ ," Harry smiled keenly up at the man.

"Yes, that leads me to my next question: are you sure that this is what you want?"

Harry was silent for a few seconds, making Severus' heart skip a beat or two, before answering, "I'm pretty positive that this is what I want," he ponders sarcastically.

"Only pretty positive, eh? So does _'pretty positive'_ cover you wanting this, then?" Severus asked, then began to rub Harry through the front of his jeans, both having discarded their robes soon after entry.

"Mmmm...yes...does cover that quite well," Harry whimpered as he arched into the touch.

"Good. Does it cover this?" Severus slid down the fly of the pants and undid the button before finally extracting the hard member of the slender boy on top of him, stroking it lazily.

Harry groaned at the contact as his right hand moved to hold the back of the couch and his left moved up to awkwardly hold onto the other’s neck, "Faster, please...faster," The boy was just able to coherently request before being rewarded by receiving that which he asked.

It didn't take long for him to come over Severus' hand, his own pants, and parts of the couch. He lay panting for a good minute or so while both men remaining quiet.

Quite suddenly Harry flipped over and kissed the other man heatedly, both moaning in to the kiss. Harry's hands moved down to play with the edge of Severus' shirt before pulling it up and over the man's head and off his arms. Once the obstacle of the article of clothing was taken care of, the younger man slowly kissed his way down the other’s neck and to his taut nipples. Just as his Fantasy Spirit had done a few days ago, he slowly nipped, tugged, bit, and pulled at both (at one point simultaneously with the help of his Fantasy Spirit) until every last drop of seed was withdrawn from his lover for the moment.

"Jesus, Harry," Severus panted, slowly coming down from his euphoric high.

"I love that weakness of yours," Harry smiled sweetly.

"That is quite apparent," Severus panted.

The rest of the Friday went quite similar as the morning. In between random bouts of jerking or sucking the other off, they had a decent lunch and dinner in the quaint kitchen, as well as some talks to get to know each other a bit better on a personal level. It wasn't until after dinner that Harry built up the courage to ask Severus for a request.

"Severus, will you make love to me?" Harry quietly asked, gazing into the fire as he played with Severus' hands in his lap.

To say that the older man was shocked would be an understatement, and it took him a bit of time to answer because of it, "Are you certain?"

Harry turned to look him in the eye before saying, "Yes, I'm sure that I want this."

The pair rose from the couch and made their way hand-in-hand towards the bedroom off to the right of the main door. Severus led Harry over to the bed and softly urged him to lay down on his back before climbing over him.

They began to kiss tenderly, silently agreeing to take their time with this; they did have all weekend, after all. Their clothes were slowly and lovingly removed from the other’s body that they seemed to cherish so much before Severus began to trail feather-light kisses all over Harry's body, slightly teasing the sensitive areas he knew to exist.

After many minutes of torturous teasing Harry began to beg, "Please, Severus, fuck me! I need to feel you inside me."

Severus glanced up with amusement and lust in his eyes, "Aren't we a greedy one?"

"Torture...all the right spots...so good," Harry couldn't form a coherent sentence since the other man had begun to tongue-fuck his belly button.

All of a sudden Severus turned very serious, "Harry, look at me," he demanded, and it took a while for Harry to comply, "This is a very big step; I need to know that you truly want this."

"I already said I did. Please."

"Tell me that you love me," Severus pleaded with his eyes, though it didn't quite reach his voice, so it came out as a simple statement, "I can't make love to you if you don't love me in return."

"I love you, Severus, you know I do," Harry desperately tried to get the message portrayed through his eyes as well as his voice, but the lust was just too thick for it to get through.

In response, Severus leaned up and kissed the younger man while reaching to grab the tube of lubricant that was located in the drawer beside the head of the bed. He squeezed some of the cold liquid into the palm of his left hand before rubbing his right against it to warm up and spread out the substance.

He slowly made his way down the lean body below him before finally inserting a finger into the younger man's tight passage. The youth grunted in discomfort at the intrusion but slowly adjusted to the feeling before a second and third were added. Soon, Harry obviously felt prepared enough when he started shouting, "Please!"

Severus quickly lubed up his cock before positioning himself at Harry's entrance. The penetration was slow an agonizing for both; for Harry because of the slight burning sensation it caused, and for Severus because it was incredibly difficult to hold himself back from just pounding into the boy right from the start.

Once the younger man was used to the feeling Severus slowly, very lovingly, thrust in and out of the warm cavity provided by the willing boy beneath him. They moved together gently in a natural rhythm for what felt like hours before desperation for release drove Severus to harsher thrusts.

“Oh God, I’m so close. Please,” Harry moaned, his head thrashing from side to side.

Severus grunted at the words before using his right hand to still Harry’s head. All at once Severus began thrusting harder, deeper, while pulling at his cock and kissing his tempting mouth. Harry came with a muffled shout, his pulsing muscles pushing Severus over the edge, as well.

Severus gently pulled out before moving Harry on to his side so he could cradle his slightly shaking form to his chest, spooning him from behind.

He kissed his messy mop of hair and reverently whispered, “I love you, Harry.”

Harry, half asleep from the magnitude of his orgasm, mumbled, “I love you too, Ron.”

The world absolutely stopped for Severus in that moment. He could swear his heart stopped along with his breathing, but he knows that that isn’t logical.

The older man, once true realization sunk in, hastily pulled away from the other’s body and backed to the edge of the bed, as far as he could get from Harry. His head was swimming and his heart was aching in a way that it hadn’t done for many years.

As soon as Harry felt the loss of body heat he became more alert and knew he'd said something wrong. He thought about it for a second and when he realized what it was he had done, he swore softly to himself.

"Severus...please...I didn't mean..." Harry sat up and tried to reach out to touch the other man's arm, but he pulled away yet further before he could even get close.

"Get away from me," Severus chocked out venomously.

Harry reluctantly pulled back his hand and tried again, "I didn't mean to say it. I don't even know why I did."

"I thought why you did would be rather obvious, wouldn't you?" Severus spat, "You obviously care about him still, even though he's gone..."

"No, I've never thought about him in that way,” Harry tried to say while shaking his head, but the statement fell on deaf ears.

"You said," Severus whispered, sadness radiating off him in waves as he looked down at his own hands in his exposed lap, "That you loved me."

"I do!"

"Obviously you don't!” He yells as his eyes find Harry’s again, growing dangerous, “It's apparent that you love Ron and were simply lusting over me. If you love someone, you don't say someone else’s name!"

Harry was silent for a few minutes. Did he really love Ron? No. That was impossible, wasn't it? He knew he had cared about the other boy, but love him in that way? So he had had a few erotic dreams about him before the war, so what? That didn’t mean anything.

But what does that say about what he felt for Severus? Was it truly just the thrill of sleeping with a teacher that made it seem as though he was more than simply lusting over the man? His heart sank because he knew that, deep down, that was a definite possibility.

"I loved Ron," He said slowly, more to himself than to Severus, as realization dawned on him, "And...I thought...I really did think I loved you...but now..." Harry's heart hurt and his eyes were burning from suppressed tears, "I'm not sure anymore."

"Get out," Severus ordered quietly from the edge of the bed, still uncovered, "I can't deal with this right now."

Harry looked up with wide eyes, a tear finally escaping, "Severus, please," he shook his head.

"I don't want to hear it," The other interrupted icily before he could get any farther, "I want you out."

Harry got up from the bed and found his clothes, slowly putting them on as Severus moved to conceal himself with the covers of his bed.

Before leaving the room, hand on the knob, Harry turned slightly with his mouth open and ready to say something.

"Please, Harry...please just go," Severus begged in a defeated tone before the other could begin speaking a syllable. The older man saw one last tear fall before the younger man turned and walked out.

As soon as he heard the main door close he fell over sideways and buried his face in his hands before releasing the tears. After a while he grudgingly got up from the bed, took a cold shower, and then headed out to the cupboard in the sitting room to grab a bottle of fire whiskey before making his way over to sleep on the couch. He couldn't bring himself to sleep in the bed that he had almost kept Harry in.

But it wasn't sleep that came from sitting in front of the peaceful fire while drinking the whiskey straight from the bottle. How did that song go? _"We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time,"_ yes, that was it. Damn muggle songs. The anger about the situation was starting to get to him. He wasn't lying when he said he loved the boy, because he really did, but it was just so hard to love him right now, for obvious reasons.

"AAARRRRRRRRRG!" Severus let out a long, painful cry, willing all the agonizing pressure in his heart to leave that way, but it didn't work. He looked down at the bottle in his hands that had gone from full to half empty in his sitting. For of course the bottle was half empty and not half full...he was very pessimistic about everything right now. Stupid bottle silently analyzing him! He hated that, so he yelled as he threw it to crash against the top of the mantle of the fireplace where the shards rained down, the light of the fire catching each sharp edge.

That wasn't all that happened, though. The bottle had hit a loose brick when it made contact and crumbled it, so now there was a piece of paper protruding from the hole. Severus got up and shakily made his way towards the fireplace and reached into the opening to pull out an old picture and what seemed to be a letter. The man's eyes grew wide as he stared at the long-forgotten picture. His knees grew weak at the sight, so he simply sat down where he was, right in front of the flames, and opened the letter.

' _My Dearest Severus,_

_ How have you been? I've missed you dearly these past two weeks and I wish you could've come to Egypt with me, but I know that your students have to come first. The muggles here are impossible! They found a new mummy today but they refused to let any of the wizards see it until we threatened them with magic. Turns out it was a greater find for us than it was for them, for it was the body of one of the first Ministers of Magic of Egypt! Can you believe that? And even though he didn't have what we were looking for, it was still a very exciting day for us all. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Ecuador to do some research there, as well. We can only hope that we are as lucky there as we were here, if not more so. _

_Oh Severus, my love, I can't wait to get back to you, though. This mission is so draining and they won't even tell us when it'll be over! I wouldn't be surprised if they send us all over the world looking for these hidden amulets. There's far too much secrecy around here; none of us truly know what the amulets are to be used for. We could be working to put together a weapon of mass destruction for all we know. But enough woe talk. _

_I love you, Severus, so much. Please, wait for me until I get back. _

_Love always,  
Geoffrey' _

The words brought tears to his eyes remembering the very next letter that he had received, saying something along the lines of: _'Don't wait for me, I don't think I can return to that retched place I used to call home, not even for you, Severus. Don't hunt me down, you will not find me. Goodbye.'_

Why did he always set himself up to be hurt? He thought he could've trusted Harry to be truthful of his wants, but apparently he was just as wrong about that as he was about Geoffrey. Severus sulked over these recovered memories before wiping away some tears and moving back to sit on the couch after throwing the picture and letter in to the fire to burn.

"I'm a right old fool," Severus sobbed before the ability to speak became too much work and he simply cried himself into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Severus is amazingly out of character for this chapter, but I couldn't bring myself - even now - to imagine his damaged soul reacting any other way to something like this.
> 
> When I originally wrote this I felt like Harry was always the one being hurt by Severus in stories, but I always knew (even before the brilliant series was finished) there was more to him and his past than met the eye.


	6. I'm Movin' On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I obviously wrote this between the release of the 5th and 6th books (2004), so Dumbledore is alive for graduation. I really didn’t have the heart to change that and, in the end, it doesn’t change much that he’s there.

In the remaining three weeks of the school year, to say that Severus was harsh on Harry for the slip-up would be an understatement. He was downright venomous. Harry had tried to apologize for the mistake many times, all to no avail. Severus was too afraid to fully trust him quite yet, not to mention that his pride had taken quite a thorough beating.

Harry was desperate to make the other man understand, though. He had plenty of time to think over what his true feelings were towards both Ron and Severus. He finally came to the conclusion that what he felt for Ron was not lust nor truly love. He had loved his friend, sure, but only in a brotherly way.

This, however, didn't lighten his heart very much since the man he was positive that he loved was still very much resolute in being ticked off at him. The younger of the pair had tried everything he could think of to make the other see that he was the only one he loved, even going as far as using the spell to show the other that he cared.

**_-Flashback-  
_** A week and three days after being thrown out of Severus' rooms (which he had explained off as him having stupidly looked into Snape's pensieve again, thus covering why the Professor was angrier all of a sudden, as well) Harry sat at Breakfast that Tuesday vainly trying to simply, gently, and lovingly soothe Severus through the spell _again_. He dejectedly withdrew when Severus turned his death glares in to pleading ones, right there in the middle of the Great Hall.

In Potions right after Breakfast, Harry decided to try a different approach. Instead of taking down the notes Professor Snape expected them all to take he wrote a note of his own, explaining the whole thing to the man.

Harry sent his Fantasy Spirit over to the Professor up front, placed the neatly folded note into the palm of his right hand, and then retreated. Unfortunately for Harry they were discussing potions that are used to temporarily enhance the ability to perform wandless magic.

"...you can also create potions to enhance only one or two types of spells, depending on which ingredients you include. Everyone look up, I'll give a demonstration," Severus continued with his speech as if he hadn't noticed the paper being placed in his hand.

Once everyone had looked up Severus opened his right hand, palm up, revealing the folded piece of paper. With a muttered spell icy blue flames erupted from the center of the man’s palm, catching the paper on fire and completely incinerating it within seconds.

Severus spared a glance towards Harry to see the immense sadness in the youth’s eyes. He had to look away quickly, however, for his heart couldn't take seeing him like that. His heart already ached constantly as it was...but damn he still loved the boy.

"Can anyone tell me why I didn't get burned from that?" Severus asked the class, "Yes, Miss Granger."

"You must have added Powdered Unicorn Hooves to the potion, since that particular ingredient is used in many burn solutions to cure most of the damage and it also helps to prevent burning, if I'm not mistaken."

"Very good, Miss Granger. Also, you were correct: it does indeed prevent burning. I hope you all took adequate notes this term, because this was our last lesson. We will be revising notes and reviewing everything for your end of the year exams next Thursday and Friday," He finished just as the bell rang and everyone packed to get ready to leave, "Mr. Potter, stay behind," Severus managed to grind out past the wave of memories that moved through him with the words.

Once everyone was gone Harry spoke up, "Severus, please..."

"No, that isn't why I held you after," Severus interrupted, "I don't want to hear an apology."

"But I want to explain!" Harry said desperately, and when he was met with mere silence he continued, "I don't love him...I never did. I love _you_ , Severus, I do."

"...Harry, I..." He shook his head.

"Please! I love you! I know for sure that I do!" Harry took a step towards him earnestly.

"I'm leaving, Harry," Severus admitted quietly, sadly.

"You're...what?" Harry wasn't sure he had heard him right.

"I'm resigning at the end of this year and I'll be leaving here."

"But why? Don't _leave_!" Harry was scared of losing the man he loved.

"I have to; I can't stay here," This time it was Severus who couldn't look Harry in the eye.

"Why not? I don't understand," Then Harry finally got the guts to ask what was on his mind since he first heard the words, "Are you running from memories of us? I don't want us to be over, Severus, running from Hogwarts won't do you any good...please...I don't want us to be over," Harry choked on the last words, tears blocking most of his vision now.

"What you did hurt like hell, Harry. I need time away from you and here."

"You don't have to leave. You love it here - this is your _home._ "

Severus looked on the verge of tears at that, "I can't stay here. You don't understand; I _can't_."

"Why? I know I don't understand, so tell me! Let me understand!" Harry was becoming extremely desperate thinking that maybe there was a way to talk him out of leaving.

"Dumbledore found out about our night together. He had to fire me, Harry, and I knew that that's what I'd be up for if he found out. I respect his decision."

"What? No!" Finally a tear _did_ slip out and fall to the cold dungeon floor.

"He's keeping it quiet and has agreed to make it appear as though I'm quitting to assist with some research in Russia. And before you say anything, no, I'm not necessarily going to Russia."

"Where are you going, then?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know."

There was silence for a few tense seconds before Harry responded, "Take me with you," he begged.

"I need time, Harry," Severus said, though he knew he'd be just as happy if Harry were to come with him now as if they ever met up again a while down the road.

"I won't give up on you, I can't, I'll hunt you down," Harry said resolutely.

Severus smiled a very small, sad smile, "I had a feeling you'd say that. I want you to do something for me then, alright?" At Harry's nod he continued, "I need you to wait six months after Graduation Day before approaching me again. You can hunt me down before that, but don't show yourself to me. If you truly still want to be with me after six months, I'll know."

Harry seemed to be thinking it over and decided that it was better than nothing, "Ok, I can do that for you," he replied sadly.

"Thank you. But that still isn't the reason I held you back today."

"What is it, then?"

"Release me," he begged.

"What?" Harry wasn't quite sure what he meant.

"The spell. Release me from it. I can't fully recover if I'm still connected to you that way."

"I should've known," Harry said sadly, then pointed his wand at Severus and said the counter spell, leaving Severus feeling emptier than before.

"Thank you."

Harry hesitantly walked the short distance to the man and placed a loving kiss on his lips. To both of their surprise, Severus let him.

"Goodbye, Harry. I still love you, but I don't have to like you right now," he said after the kiss broke.

Harry understood: he had to go. As he reached the door he said, "Don't forget...please..." he begged, "Never forget that I love you," and walked out before receiving an answer.  
**_-End Flashback-_ **

And so it is that they've now arrived on Graduation Day: Tuesday, June 8. The Seven and the staff had been alone in the castle since Saturday, since that's when all of the other students had taken the Hogwarts Express home.

The ceremony was in the process of being set up - on the side of the school over-looking the lake - when The Seven received the results of all their end of term exams. They had insisted that they all stay in the same common room for their remaining days and had all agreed to stay in Ravenclaw, because it was the most neutral territory they could agree upon. They also decided to follow Hogwarts tradition, so Hermione and Susan shared a dorm while Harry, Draco, Blaise, Terry, and Justin all shared another. The boys weren't worried in the slightest that there were five boys rooming in a dorm that only had four beds since Draco and Blaise were used to sharing a bed by now, anyway.

Each student had passed each one of their exams and had decided to celebrate by heading off to Hogsmead one last time as students. While there, they went to Zonko's Joke Shop, The Three Broomsticks, The Leaky Caldron and other such places. Harry had gotten the most brilliant idea _ever_ on the way to the town, and now he had to just find a way to accomplish it.

The opportunity presented itself when Hermione, being her usual persistent self, wanted to go into the book store while everyone else wanted to go separate places all their own. Therefore, The Seven split up and arranged to meet back at The Leaky Cauldron in 45 minutes. Harry made sure everyone was out of sight before heading to Lady Salina's Jewelry Shop.

At the sound of the bell that went off when Harry entered the store, a middle-aged woman looked up from behind the counter where she was working on what looked to be a pendant.

"Yes sir, may I help you with anything?" The woman asked while covering her previous work up with a cloth before pushing it aside slightly. Her long brown hair fell to the middle of her back, her gray eyes sizing him up unsurely. She had taken to wearing muggle clothes to allow the pieces of jewelry she sported more visible.

"Yes, I'm looking for a gift for someone: a ring, or perhaps even a necklace, preferably," Harry stated, walking in more while looking around as he made his way towards the front desk.

As he grew closer it was obvious that the shopkeeper recognized him, "Ah, I see. I can assist you with that. So, tell me, Mr. Potter," at the sound of his name his head sharply turned from the display case he had been looking at to her, "Who is it that you are looking to buy for today?"

"A very special man in my life," He said confidently, pointedly ignoring the subtle shock that passed over the woman's features, "I'll need it right away, so I'm not looking for a custom job or anything like that, just something that'll suit him."

"Well, that will be no problem then. If you'll follow me, I'll show you where the rings are kept, as well as the necklaces," She said as she walked out from behind the counter.

Harry followed her off to the wall opposite the main entrance. To the left of a doorway (which he assumed led to the back storage area) could be found the rings, and to the right were the necklaces, "I'll just be behind the counter; call me if you have any questions or need any assistance."

"Yes, thank you," He smiled to her as she walked away and then began his search. He knew that he didn't have much time, only a little over a half-hour to find what he wanted.

Harry immediately disregarded the gold rings knowing that Severus would much prefer the silver, not to mention that it would look better on him. After further scrutiny he could also rule out about half of the choices since they were obviously girls’ rings due to the daintiness and thinness of the bands. After almost 20 more minutes of searching, he finally found the perfect ring: five thinner strings of platinum placed side-by-side and twisted in some spots to form the band, with three medium-sized Aquamarine stones set in the middle of the space between two twisted spots, signifying the top of the ring

"Lady Salina? I think I have made my decision," Harry called out, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching.

"And what choice have you made, Mr. Potter?" She asked curiously, coming to stand next to him while his gaze was still fixed on the ring he held in his fingers, "Ahh, very nice choice. You know, that ring has a matching pendent to go along with it," she suggested.

Harry looked up hopefully, "Can you show it to me?"

"Of course, it's just this way," She said and led him off to their right, towards the necklaces. On the leftmost shelf, by the door, sat a shining medium-sized silver cross. The same five platinum strings could be seen running up and down, along with side to side, slightly increasing in size as they reached the ends before rounding off smoothly so it wouldn't be as sharp on the edges. Along with this there was one smaller Aquamarine stone positioned at each point of the cross, removed just slightly from the three nearest edges, while in the middle sat a slightly larger stone of the same kind. The pendant absolutely sparkled, even in the shadows created by the shelf above the one on which it was positioned.

Harry couldn't believe the beauty of it and he didn't even notice that his mouth was hanging open slightly until Lady Salina began to laugh softly, "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Very much so," Harry agreed, "How much for the pair?" He finally dragged his gaze from the necklace to the woman beside him.

"That'd be 40 galleons altogether," She said, and at the sight of Harry's eyes bugging out she hurried to explain, "That is top of the line Platinum, Mr. Potter, and only the best quality of gems. Normally I would be charging 45 galleons for it, but since you seem in such need of them, I've knocked a bit off," When she still got no reply she added, "I'll include a velvet box for the ring and a pure silk bag for the pendant."

Harry thought this over and finally decided, "He's worth it," He mumbled to himself, and then turned to the lady fully, "I'll take them."

Once the purchase had been made he gratefully walked out of Lady Saline's shop and headed to The Leaky Cauldron with five minutes to spare. As soon as the rest of the group returned, The Seven headed back up to the castle to get ready for the ceremony; it was already noon, and the ceremony was scheduled to start at two.

They all started to get ready once they had had some lunch in the Great Hall and had returned to their dorms. Harry, like the rest of the guys, was ready by a quarter after one so he decided to leave the others to their games of chess and head down to Professor Snape's room, hoping to find him there.

The knock on the door _did_ come as a surprise to Severus this time who had been working on packing all of his things, humming a slow tune as he did so, "Come in," he called out, going back to work thinking that it was merely a colleague.

"Severus?" The man heard the familiar voice say once the door was closed. He looked up sharply at the boy in shock, pleading in his head for him not to make it difficult to leave.

"What is it, Harry?" Severus forced the boy’s name out, though it didn't quite come out as foreboding as he'd hoped it would.

"I...I wanted to give you something. You know...before you left," Harry said quietly, willing the tears away at the memory that this man was going to leave him, at least for six months.

"I don't want anything," Severus said icily, _'it'll only remind me of you'_ he added in his own mind.

"Please? Just take it; it's all that I ask."

Severus sighed heavily, "Show me what it is first, then I shall decide."

Harry walked towards the other man whilst reaching into the right pocket of his dark green dress robes, pulling out the velvet box. Once he reached his Professor, he offered the box to him which was taken within the other’s right hand.

"What is this?" Severus asked meekly, sounding lost even to his own ears.

"Open it," Harry was nervous, and he looked to be playing with one of the buttons on his robes as the box was slowly opened.

As soon as Severus fully saw what was in the box, his mouth fell open in shock. How could the boy have bought this for him? Did he even know what it truly was?

"Harry, I can't accept this," He said, trying to hand the box back.

"It's a gift; you can't just give it back," Harry almost pleaded.

"Do you even know what this does?"

"What do you mean?"

Severus sighed, "It is an ancient ring of great power. It and its brother pendant make up the Aruthmus charms. They bind the wearers together, but only as long as they are worn by both parties. Where is the pendant?"

"I...left it in my room," he lied, all the sudden very thankful for the high collar of his dress robes so the other man couldn't see that he was wearing it, "I was going to keep it for myself, to match you, but I wasn't planning on wearing it tonight."

Severus stood deep in thought for a while as Harry waited anxiously, "I will accept your gift since I know the location of the binding pendant," Severus said before sliding the ring onto his right index finger where it adjusted so it fit him just right. For a brief second a wave of powerful magic coursed through both men, but was soon gone before either could analyze it fully.

"Thank you for the gift. But please remember your promise," Severus said.

"You're welcome, and of course I remember and respect your earlier wish," Harry said, though his heart sank a little that the man still wanted to have a break from him.

"I will see you at graduation, then, but if you'll excuse me I still have some packing to do."

"Are you leaving right after the ceremony?" Harry was a little shocked at that.

"You could say that, yes," He said cryptically.

"I see. I'll leave you to pack then," Harry said and then turned to walk towards the door.

As soon as he got back to the dorm he shrunk his broom and his trunk before placing them in his pockets. He then turned to Hedwig and said, "If I don't return in two days, come and find me. Don't worry about your cage, I can always buy you a new one if you have to leave it, ok Girl?" He asked, and the snowy owl affectionately nipped his finger and hooted, rubbing her face against the palm of his right hand. Harry kissed the top of his beloved pet’s head before heading back down towards the common room to await the arrival of Professor McGonagall, who would be the one to fetch them when it was time for them to head out to the lawn.

He was only down in the common room ten minutes at most before said teacher came in through the portrait, "If you will all follow me, please, it is time to start the ceremony."

Everyone stood up and followed her out to the side of the building. The sight that met their eyes upon their exit of the castle was a magnificent one, make no mistake. There was a long stage with chairs set up, backs to the lake, where all the Professors, besides McGonagall, were currently seated. Also on the platform sat four sets of two dozen carnations of the varying house colors and a podium placed in the center front portion.

Directly in front of the stage, with a significant amount of space between them and the platform, sat seven chairs in a straight line. The two furthest to the left (looking at them from the back), were colored Red and Gold; the two next to that were Gold and Black; the next one was Blue and Goldenrod while the remaining two on the end were Green and Silver. Seems they were ordered alphabetically by house name.

Behind the row of seven sat everyone's family that still lived. It looked as if they didn't have assigned seating, but had managed well enough on their own. The remaining Weasley's (Molly, Charlie, Bill, Fred and George) were present to support both Harry and Hermione. Hermione also had her parents there because they were both relatively safe during the war since they are both muggles. The other five had at least two people present to see this day, except for Draco: he only had one, and that was his Godfather, Severus.

As The Seven reached the seats, they found that they were also sat alphabetically by names within the house (which really wasn't all that hard, considering), so Hermione was on the one end while Blaise closed off the other.

Once they and Professor McGonagall had been seated, Dumbledore stood up and walked to the podium, eyes twinkling merrily.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to this joyous occasion. You have all joined here to witness the graduation of a fine group of students, a group that has endured many hardships. This class started out with 25 students, every one of them bright and talented in the art of magic. Unfortunately, this group was also tested harsher than any other that has passed through this school at an earlier stage of learning, for this was the year of Voldemort's final demise, and they were called upon to help in the fight, which all did willingly. I don't think that I have ever been as proud of any class as I am of this one. They had done all that was asked of them and more.

"The wonders did not cease after the war was over, however. This remaining group of seven came back to the school with a purpose: to accomplish great things, doing nothing less than their personal best at all times, and to live the life that their fallen classmates no longer had the chance to. They enrolled in every NEWT level class offered to get them prepared and then went on to ace all of their end of the year exams.

"To say that this class is strong, resilient, and loyal would be a vast understatement. They are the epitome of these traits and more, going beyond anyone's expectations of them. Likewise, to say that I am proud of them would _also_ be a grave understatement; I am honored to have fought beside them and to have run the school in which they learned all that they have. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is truly my honor to present to you the Class of 1998," Dumbledore finished his speech, which was followed by a profound amount of clapping from every seat on the lawn and stage.

"Now Minerva McGonagall will call you up alphabetically by house to hand you your diplomas," The Headmaster addressed The Seven who all nodded in understanding.

McGonagall stepped up to the podium and cleared her throat as 'Pomp and Circumstance' began to quietly play from seemingly nowhere, "Valedictorian - Hermione Jean Granger," she announced, and Hermione stood up with a wide smile on her face as she proceeded up to the platform to receive her diploma and shake the hands of the Professors.

"Harry James Potter," she said once Hermione had sat down once more. Harry followed the same routine Hermione had done except with one difference: when he reached out and shook Professor Snape's hand, he had a quick image of the man standing in front of the loaded platform before he distinctly disapparated. He was quickly pulled out of his premonition by the man letting go of his hand before giving him a questioning look.

The rest of the students followed suit, being called up one by one; Susan Haley Bones, Justin Randy Finch-Fletchley, Terry Christopher Boot, Draco Salazar Malfoy and Blaise Edward Zabini.

When Blaise had reclaimed his seat, Dumbledore took up the spot behind the podium once again, "Now that the cheerful matter has been dealt with, I must inform everyone of something less celebration-worthy," At this announcement everyone looked around at each other, mumbling questions about what he could mean, "I regret to inform you all that our resident Potions Master has resigned from his position at Hogwarts in order to pursue the participation in some very important research being conducted in Russia," The old man said and everyone was unsettled by the news, "It is tradition," Dumbledore began speaking over the crowd, "that a teacher sing a song at the end of every graduation in honor of the students. However, this year Severus Snape will be singing a song that, as I am lead to believe, pertains more to himself and his departure from these hallowed halls. With that said, I will hand the floor over to him," Albus finished and went to sit in his seat.

Severus stiffly rose up from his uncomfortable chair and made his way onto the grass in between the stage and the row that held The Seven. Suddenly, from that same seeming nowhere that Pomp and Circumstance had come from, the sound of a piano started to play, soon joined by two violins, and then the man began to sing:

_I've dealt with my ghosts and I’ve faced all my demons_  
Finally content with a past I regret  
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness **(Severus turned back to look at Dumbledore at this and the next line before turning back to the crowd)  
** _For once I'm at peace with myself_  
I've been burdened with blame  
Trapped in the past for too long  
I'm movin' on

Harry felt sick with sadness. He knew this song only because, for some unfathomable reason, Dudley had decided that he rather liked American Country music, particularly this group. He also realized that what he had seen when he shook the man’s hand earlier was this scene. There was no way he could know that and just let him leave. As he continued debating what to do, Severus continued singing, the sadness in his eyes touching everyone's heart.

_I've lived in this place and I know all the faces_ **(Again directed at the staff behind him before facing the crowd again)  
** _Each one is different but they're always the same_  
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it  
They'll never allow me to change  
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong  
I'm movin' on

As Severus began singing the last line Harry leaned over and kissed Hermione on the cheek before whispering, "I'm sorry. Goodbye, 'Mione," before standing up from his seat. He knew what he had to do, so when the next verse of the song finally arrived it was Harry's voice everyone heard, for Severus was too stunned that he had been accompanied.

_I'm movin' on_  
At last I can see  
Life has been patiently waiting for me  
And I know there's no guarantees  
But I'm not alone  
There comes a time in everyone's life  
When all you can see are the years passing by  
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

Harry now stood in front of Severus, though they both faced sideways to the crowd. The older man looked at Harry skeptically and then leaned in to whisper in the boy’s ear since there was a short musical interlude, "What are you doing?"

"I can't lose you, not even for six months," Harry whispered pleadingly back to the man and finished just before the next verse started.

**Harry started, staring into Severus' eyes as they held the other’s opposite hand in each of their own:**  
_I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't_  
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town  
**Severus silently knew to come in as Harry dropped out:  
** _I've loved like I should, but lived like I shouldn't_  
I had to lose everything to find out  
**Harry chimed in again as Severus fell silent:  
** _Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road_  
I'm movin' on  
**For the last two lines, they sang together:  
**_I'm movin' on_  
I'm movin' on

As soon as the piano hit its last note in the piece, the two men embraced and disapparated from view with one final _'pop'._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to explain why they were able to disapparate on Hogwarts grounds: that is because Voldemort is dead, and this is a joyous day...ok, so I really don't know why they can, it was just the best exit I could give them out of there.
> 
> The song that they're singing at the end is 'I'm Movin' On' by Rascal Flatts. It's a beautiful song and I highly recommend it.


	7. Tell Me That You Live For Love

The pair apparated into the main foyer of Snape Manor with a _'pop'_ of displaced air. As soon as their feet were firmly planted, Severus gently pushed Harry away from him and took a step back.

The two men stood staring at each other, sizing the other up for a few tense minutes before Severus finally spoke, "Why?" he managed to get out.

"Why what?" Harry asked quietly, fearing the almost inevitable kicking out of the man's house that he would receive.

"Why did you sing with me? Why did you hold my hands gently and whisper so desperately in my ear back there? Why did you break your promise? Why did you allow me to take you with me?" The older man rambled off pleadingly, all of a sudden feeling very worn down.

"I sang because it was the only way I'd get close to you just then. I held your hands gently because you're delicate, and I whispered desperately because I was just that: desperate not to lose you. I broke my promise because I knew I would die if I tried to fulfill it. I allowed you to bring me here because I love you...and I hope you still love me, too," Harry answered shakily.

Severus just stood there, mask back in place as he stared at the boy. He couldn't say that he wasn't the tiniest bit happy that the man he loved had followed him here, but he didn't know if he was truly ready to simply open his arms and heart once more.

"Harry, you know I still love you," He admitted at length, "But what happened that night..."

"Was an accident and a complete lie. You know that I don't love anyone but you, Severus, you _know_ that," Harry cut his former-Professor off.

"I...I need some time, _please_ ," Severus' mask slipped away; he was too tired to hold it up and have this emotionally draining conversation at the same time.

Harry felt tears prick the back of his eyes, "Please don't send me away. I wouldn't survive without you, I know I wouldn't."

"But..." He didn't have it in his heart to send this man away, and he simultaneously knew and hated that fact. How had his ex-student gotten so far into his heart that he was able to run him into the ground, just be to allowed back in after apologizing for it?

Harry saw the indecision in the ebony eyes of his lover and, instead of seeing it as a weakness in the man, saw it as an opportunity for happiness. He slowly walked towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist lightly.

"I..."

"Please," The boy begged, "Let me do this," and he leaned up slightly to capture those lips that he had missed; the same ones he thought that he'd have to wait a seeming eternity to taste again.

Severus was reluctant at first. He hated his heart and subconscious for loving the boy so much that he just allowed him back in so easily. All he wanted was to hurt; to feel the loss of the one man he knew he could love forever. Wasn't he allowed even that much? But apparently the fates looked down on him in pity, and who was he to contradict the will of fate? Apparently no one, so he gave in.

Harry moaned into the kiss when he felt the other man return the kiss, but Severus broke away when he felt Harry's hands move to undo his numerous buttons.

"No," Severus said, not quite as forcefully as he might've liked as he took Harry’s hands in his own, "I really want to take it slow this time," he said while looking the younger man in the eye so he knew how serious he was.

Harry nodded, "I understand. I'm sorry to've rushed you."

"It's fine, you know now."

"So...does that mean I'm allowed to stay?" He didn't want to push anything, but this was something he really needed to know.

"I won't lie to you, I'm having a big internal struggle with this. As much as I wanted to be allowed to be mad for awhile, I fear my heart is winning and saying that I wouldn't be able to last long...but God!" Severus drew back again and buried his face in his hands, hiding his sorrows from those green eyes.

Harry backed away a few steps, thinking it wise to give the man the space he obviously needed. For many long minutes they stayed like this, until Severus straightened himself out and took a deep breath before finally looking Harry in the eye again.

"I thought that I might have been able to take you back right now, but I realize that I still just really need some time. I'm sorry, but you have to understand," Severus begged.

Harry looked down at his feet which were moving slightly from side to side, "I do understand," he said quietly, "So six months still then?" He couldn't bring himself to raise his gaze from the wood paneling of the floor, not wanting him to see the wall of tears that was none-too-slowly building.

Because he was looking at the ground, he didn't notice the small, sad shake of Severus' head.

"I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to last that long," Severus admitted solemnly, and Harry did raise his head at that, "I need at least a month, though," Severus continued.

"I can do that," He nodded, hopes lifting at the drastically decreased separation.

"Thank you; this means a lot to me."

"I know," Harry said seriously, "Will you be staying here?"

"Yes. My wards will keep any uninvited guests from getting too close to my house," Severus stated, "And yes, that also includes you."

"Why? I promise I'll stay away, but don't limit me like that. Please," Harry begged

"It's for my own comfort. If I know no one can get in, even those promising to stay away, I can relax and truly be able to recover and do the things that are necessary. I'll set the wards to allow you to enter as soon as the month is up."

Harry wasn't happy about this prospect, but he knew it had to be done, that he wouldn't get this man back if he were to disregard his simple request, "As long as you promise to allow me in at the end of the month, I can do as you ask."

Harry took one last sorrowful look at the older man before turning and walking towards the door. When he reached it, he turned around, "Goodbye, Severus, I'll see you in a month," he said before exiting Snape Manor without waiting for a reply.

As soon as the door closed Severus sat down on the ground, legs folded under him and his head placed in his hands, not being able to conjure up enough will power to move from the open entrance way.

On the other side of the door Harry stood with his back pressed against the thick oak trying to collect himself as the tears began to burn their trail down his cheeks.

"What have I done?" Severus whispered to himself, "What if he doesn't come back?"

"What have I done?" Harry whispered, unknowingly mere seconds after Severus uttered the same words, "What if he doesn't take me back? I didn't even get one last kiss," and with that last, sad thought, Harry pushed himself from the door and slowly walked away.

It had only been a week since he had left and Severus was already going crazy. Well, if he were honest with himself, it had been one week, two days and 13 hours, approximately, since the boy had walked out...but of course he hated being honest, especially with himself, so he refused to acknowledge that he knew so precisely.

He couldn't sleep because his dreams were plagued by that innocent face and the shockingly green eyes. He would toss and turn for most of the night, and then when he was finally claimed by the darkness, the boy’s face would have to appear. He would feel those muscular arms wrap him safely and feel content.

Then, after merely a half hour, at most, he would wake up crying. He felt like a bloody seven year old away at camp and feeling homesick! Not that he had ever spent time away from home during the summer.

Little did he know that Harry wasn't doing any better. He had decided to rent a room in the nearest town, to be as close to Snape Manor as he could be. For the first few nights Harry left the older man alone, but that soon became too much for the mischievous Gryffindor.

On the fifth evening since leaving, Harry decided to take a walk to the estate. He was sure to detect where Severus' wards began so he wouldn't accidentally set them off and have his probation extended. It became a little ritual for him to go visit the grounds every night from then on.

It was on the eve of the two and a half week mark that Severus found himself out in his yard, trying desperately once more not to think of the younger man and failing.

He was pacing near the forest on his property, just short of where his wards ended, muttering nonsense to himself.

"Leave me...never return...cope..." He took a long pause, then added quietly, stopping in his tracks, "I love him," he admitted on a breath.

That seemed to be his undoing as he placed his head in his hands and his shoulders began to shake. It started off slow and quiet, his calling out for Harry, but soon he was positively screaming it out

"Harry!" The name came out so desperate and heart breaking that Harry, who had been taking his nightly walk, ran from his hiding spot in the woods just outside the wards separating him from his love and tried to reach him.

As soon as he encountered the wards, however, he was forced away to stumble backwards from them. Severus still hadn't seen him since he was turned slightly away. Harry watched helplessly as Severus fell to his knees, fists clenched and being held upwards as he cried out.

Harry ran back up to the invisible ward and started beating on it incessantly, ignoring the fact that his hand was thrown almost painfully back each time it came in contact with the invisible forcefield. It wasn't until Harry began to call out to Severus through his own tears that the older man noticed that he wasn't alone.

Severus looked up hopefully and, not believing his eyes, softly asked, "Harry?" positive that the man before him was just a figment of his imagination. It was the sadness in those emerald eyes as they slowly became level as Harry sank down, his legs too weak to hold him, that convinced him that he was real. Harry's left hand was sliding down the barrier, creating the only obstacle keeping him from simply collapsing onto the ground.

For many minutes the two simply watched each other as the sun was setting behind Severus.

Finally, Harry spoke up after he had composed himself a little, "Let me in, Severus," He pleaded.

The older man nodded sadly and waved his right hand. This time when Harry attempted to move forward, he was allowed to pass through the wards.

He crawled the short distance to his lover. Upon reaching him he gently placed himself in the other’s lap, draping his arms around Severus' neck as his legs went around his waist before he buried his face into his neck as well.

They stayed in that position awhile: Harry wrapped up in the safety of Severus’s arms, and Severus's head buried in the younger's messy head of hair.

"Don't make me go...please don't make me go," Harry whispered.

Severus hugged his smaller body closer to his and assured him, "Never. I never want you to leave me again."

"I promise I won't, please let me stay."

"Forever, love, if you'll have me that long."

Severus felt Harry smile in to his neck while snuggling closer to him and knew it was his way of accepting the offer. Things would be ok from now on, now that they had each other again.

The thought made Severus smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was so much angst in this story. Like, way more than I remember there being. Somewhere along the line I moved from mostly angst writing to mostly fluff writing and I couldn't be happier with the change, haha.
> 
> I'd really love to hear your thoughts/constructive criticism. I honestly didn't end up changing as much as I originally thought I would. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it at least a little!


End file.
